On 10 March we set off on our travels to walk through, and enjoy the hospitailty of remote villages in the Nepalese hills. And, though we were confident that it would be a truly memorable adventure having done previous similar trips we never imagined that it who would have been so memorable for another reason – Covid -19 – the virus that rapidly enveloped the world!
We were due to travel back to the UK on 25 March but we were advised to fly home earlier because of fears that flights would be cancelled – and they were. As we flew out of Kathmandu on 18 March Nepal stopped all flights ito the country.
We were taken to a hotel in Dhulikhel before making our way to the villages in the hills. It was very quiet with only two other people staying there and masses of staff who were extremely attentive!
Before settling down to supper we took a walk over the hill to the local village, met some children and and other residents and enjoyed the sunset.
The following day we were were taken by road to Solambu where we met our guides, Tom and Raz. Our driver, Sadaya, was a former major in the Nepalese army, for which we were truly grateful as the main roads into the villages were single lane dirt tracks with the odd passing place usually on a hair pin bend. Meeting a bus on a hair pin bend en route was hair raising to say the least.
We stayed two nights in the village of Solambu. We walked around to meet the locals and then walked to a nearby village to familiarise ourselves with the terrain, which was steep as the villages are built on the side of hills and terraced for growing crops.
On 25 April 2015 at 11.56 Nepal suffered an earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake) which killed nearly 9,000 people and injured upwards of 22,000. The country is still rebuilding homes and restoring temples today. We came across many new houses being built on our travels as well as schools, hospitals and bridges over rivers that had been built by Japan, France and Germany.
One of the cooks at Solambu
From Solambu we walked to the village of Teksingh, the village where one of our guides was from and where his mother still lives. The walk was 8km and took 4 hours – a 700m descent (which was punishing on the knees!) & 500m ascent. And, We soon discovered that when Tom, our guide, said that the terrain was going to be flat he really meant it was uphill!
We passed through some beautiful countryside and villages and had the chance to stop and experience daily life. There were conversations with locals though neither party had a clue what the conversation was about much of the time. The offer of a seat and a smile however, more than made up for the communication differences!
Guides Tom, Raz and Terence chatting with a local
Guest House Teksingh
On our walk around the village Tom showed us the school where he had been educated. It was damaged in the earthquake and is currently being rebuilt
Sadly, that was where our walking adventure finished. We never made it to the village of Pasiban or Kholakarka and on to the Sailung peak.
We were told that from Sailung, the views across the hills are spectacular. It is well worth making the short climb to Sailung peak for both sunset and sunrise. To the north is the seemingly impenetrable wall of the snowcapped eastern Himalaya, beyond which lies Tibet. To the far west the Annapurna Range, and to the far east the Lhotse-Nuptse Range (which connects to Everest): some 200km of the world’s highest mountains in all their magnificent glory. To the south, the Mahabharat Range (Mid-Hills or Lesser Himalaya), amongst which you stand, rolls on and on before giving way to the lowland plains of the Terai, which borders India. This is one of few privileged locations in Nepal from where the tallest peaks of the High Himalaya can be seen at the same time as the lowest plains of the Terai; the entire breadth of this fascinating country laid out before you—a truly extraordinary, humbling and memorable sight.
To be saved for another time when the world returns to normal – whatever that will be!
We were advised to return to Kathmandu and book a flight home as there was no guarantee that our planned return flight on 25 March would be operating. In the hills there is no internet – you are completely cut off from what is going on in the wider world. So, there was nothing else for it – hot spotting off the guides phone we managed to book a return flight for 18 March.
But before we left Teksingh we had the pleasure of tea and home made alcohol at 9am in the headteacher’s garden
Driver Sadaya
And, once in Kathmandu we had a day of sightseeing before boarding our flight home.
We visited the Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple). The stupa has stood as a hallmark of faith and harmony for centuries with Hindu temples and deities incorporated in this Buddhist site. The glory of Kathmandu Valley is said to have started from this point.
From there we went to Durbar Square which was badly hit by the earthquake. Landmark palaces and temples were literally shaken apart by the force of the tremor and are undergoing reconstruction. Whilst many of the temples are being rebuilt there are makeshift sites for making offerings
Our last port of call whilst in the centre of Kathmandu was to see the magnificent Boudhanath Stupa. It is one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world keeps an eye out in every direction. The base of the stupa tower is decorated with pairs of eyes on each of the cardinal directions representing the all-knowing nature of the Buddha.
After exploring the centre of Kathmandu we travelled out to two small villages on the edge of the city. Both villages had been badly damaged in the earthquake and there was massive rebuilding going on of both houses and temples.
In the photo below there is a new build house (hearts painted on the top of it) alongside an old house
This is the remains of a temple. Villagers had sorted through the rubble so that they could start rebuilding it.
Many of the villagers were busy cleaning bricks so that they could be used and there were some very talented crafts people living in the village, many of whom were women, who were busy wood carving elaborate panels that were to be used in the construction of new doors and shutters
We also came across a woman spinning on a charkha, a traditional Indian spinning wheel. It is one of the oldest known forms of the spinning wheel and one that used by Mahatma Gandhi
There was also a mustard oil factory in one of the villages – which looked very labour intensive
We had a thoroughly enjoyable day exploring the sights in Kathmandu and the following morning boarded the flight back to Heathrow via Dubai. We were sad to leave but there will be another time when the world rights itself again.
What we experienced was magical. The Nepalese people are so warm and welcoming…. and resilient. They have endured so much in recent times – the earthquake in 2015, recent landslides that have swept away villages….. and now the Covid -19 virus. Yet, they carry undeterred.
Our driver jokingly said that he would find a house that we could rent if we were unable to get home, which wouldn’t have been so bad except that if Covid – 19 took hold in Kathmandu it would be devastating. The medical services would never be able to cope.
When we were there Nepal had only had one death from Covid – 19 in December. And, In a recent communication with our guide Sunil he reported that there have now been six deaths. Lets hope that Nepal can weather the storm and and avoids further disaster.
We were taken with this poster that was hanging in the recepiton of the Kathmandu hotel. It seemed very appropriate in the current climate
Monica Dennis 